MacRumors

Flight Global is reporting that Airline in-flight entertainment system providers are exploring additional features to occupy its customers while flying.

Panasonic Avionics reveals that there has been a lot of interest in providing iTunes services to their customers during a flight. This would allow passengers to browse and download iTunes songs in-flight to their iPods.

While Apple is aware of the interest, the concept would require special modifications to the iTunes software to allow users to then sync those songs back with their home computer. International licensing issues are also an ongoing issue. Apple refused to comment about this potential option, but talks are ongoing.

Disney-ABC announced today in a press release that four TV shows, including three currently sold in the iTunes Music Store, will be made available for viewing at the ABC website the day after their network broadcasts, as part of an experiment during May and June.

"Commander in Chief", "Desperate Housewives", and "Lost" are already sold through the iTunes Music Store, for $1.99 per episode. The current season of "Alias", which is not sold in the Store, will be available as well.

Broadcasts will be streamed using Flash 8, in either 500x282 at 400kbs or 700x394 at 700 kbps, both of which use the 16x9 aspect ratio. Users, on Macs or PCs, will be able to pause and select chapters, but not skip the commercials from major advertisers that will make up part of the stream. These commercials will be interactive.

Our mission with this trial is to gather key learning about the technology and the consumers who utilize it in order for ABC.com to become the leading broadband digital entertainment experience, packed with innovative, immersive content for our viewers. In the months ahead, ABC.com will not only deliver a high quality, on-demand viewing experience to users, but will also gain valuable knowledge and research to help us better understand and serve our consumers in the rapidly evolving digital world.

ABC was the first major television network to distribute their shows via the iTunes Music Store, and will now be offering viewers a choice to watch the original broadcast, purchase shows without commercials from the iTunes Music Store, or (during the two-month experiment) watch the free broadband stream.

The Inquirer claims that Intel's Core Duo chips are set to see a price drop as of May 28th.

The price of the high end 2.16GHz Core Duo that is a build to order option for the MacBook Pro is set to drop as much as $214 per unit. The slower clocked chips will see more modest price drops ($129 drop for the 1.83GHz chip and $54 drop for the 1.66GHz chip). Also expected is a 2.33GHz T2700 Core Duo processor later this year.

This does not necessarily mean a price drop on corresponding Macs, however. Apple historically has been relatively consistent in their Mac pricing for the duration of a product's lifespan.
Update: Previously posted by Appleinsider.

O'Grady (of PowerPage.org) posted some commentary from his perspective of the ongoing lawsuit involving Apple and leaked information on an unreleased Apple product (Asteroid). The lawsuit was filed by Apple in December 2004 against "Does 1-20" and subpoenas the ISPs of the sites (including PowerPage) involved for information about the source of the leaks.

PowerPage is being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and their defense claims that website sources are protected by the same laws that protect sources who leak information to journalists.

A judge initially ruled in March 2005 that information such as this is classified as a "trade secret" is not covered under journalistic protection.

On April 20th, the EFF will have their appeal heard by the California Court of Appeal.

Apple has posted details about its upcoming Q2 2006 financial results conference call.

The webcast will take place at 2pm PT/5pm ET on Wednesday, April 19, 2006.

Please note that comments made during this call may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements. For more information on the factors that could influence results, please refer to Apple's SEC filings.

Apple's Financial Results Conference call provides the recent sales numbers for Apple's product lines and typically provides some insight into Apple's plans.

Last week, the buzz around the net exploded with the release of Apple's Boot Camp, which allows Intel Mac users to boot into Windows XP. This was quickly followed by Parallels' release of Workstation 2.1 Beta for Mac OS X which allows users to launch Windows under Mac OS X on Intel Macs.

Parallels has already posted Beta 2 which addresses issues early beta testers have had, and is pricing the finished version at a discounted $39.99 for now.

Meanwhile, another of the large virtualization software companies, VMWare, has a Mac OS X version of their product in testing in labs, according to comments by the CEO (previously rumored)

Virtualization technology allows multiple instances of a computer's operating system to be running at one time. Microsoft also took interest in this technology when it acquired Virtual PC from Connectix back in 2003. The future of Virtual PC remains in question, however. Microsoft has stated it is working on updating Virtual PC for Intel Macs, but has made comments that it will have to be a complete rewrite.

This is like building a brand new version for us, Lefebvre said. Its not just a new operating system, its new hardware, toothis is a really big transition. Its hard to say right now what it will look like or when it will be.

ThinkSecret claims that Apple has begun manufacturing the new "MacBook" (Intel iBook) which should be available in the next 30-60 days.

According to the rumor site, the newest version of the iBook will indeed be rebranded as a "MacBook" and will come with a 13.3" widescreen display with 1280x720 resolution.

The upcoming MacBook is said to share internal components with the recently released Mac mini which comes in both Core Solo and Core Duo configurations. The new MacBook will therefore replace both the current 12" and 14" iBooks as well as the 12" PowerBook G4. This corroborates a similar report that new iBooks were in production to be delivered by June. The iBook was last updated in July 2005.

Meanwhile, a 17" MacBook Pro with brighter display is also in the works and should arrive around the same time. The 17" MacBook Pro is said to be otherwise similar to the current 15" MacBook Pro.
Update: Meanwhile, AppleInsider claims that the upcoming MacBooks will contain a 1.67GHz Core Duo chip, and does not expect a Core Solo model. The new MacBooks are also said to contain an iSight, MagSafe Power Cord, Front Row and Photo Booth.

Microsoft's response to Apple's release of Boot Camp with a positive statement:

"Windows is a great operating system," a Microsoft statement said. "We're pleased that Apple customers are excited about running it, and that Apple is responding to meet the demand."

Meanwhile, Apple explains that the release of Boot Camp addresses some requests from different users and is intended to encourage PC users to switch:

Boot Camp makes the Mac way more appealing to Windows users who are considering the switch by lowering the barrier to moving to Mac

Brian Croll, senior director for Mac OS X product marketing, clarifies that Apple will not preinstall or sell Windows, so users must provide their own copy.

A number of early benchmarks are starting to appear comparing the speed of Windows XP to Mac OS X as well as Windows XP on the Mac compared to other PCs:

- Cinebench 9.8 scores WinXP vs Mac OS X (Bootcamp)
- Adobe Photoshop CS Windows vs Mac (Bootcamp) - note: Mac Photoshop on Intel Core Duo is emulated
- PCMark '04 MacBook Pro 1.83 vs HP 309F 1.83GHz (Bootcamp)

Finally, Uneasy Silence posted a video walkthrough on how to install Boot Camp on an Intel Mac.

Parallels released their Windows virtualization solution for the Intel Mac today. The product is called Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta and a free fully functional copy is available for download now.

Unlike Apple's Boot Camp solution which was released yesterday, Parallels solution allows you to run Windows XP (and other Intel-based operating systems) from within Mac OS X. Rebooting or Dual Booting is not required. This allows users to maintain their daily environment while also being able to use any desired Windows applications. It is only available for the Intel Macs and should provide near-native performance.

Parallels Workstation 2.1 Beta for Mac OS X is NOT simply a "dual-boot" solution; rather, it empowers users the ability to use Windows, Linux and any other operating system at the same time as Mac OS X, enabling users to enjoy the comfort of their Mac OS X desktop while still being able to use critical applications from other OSes.

Parallels appears to be taking advantage of the Intel Virtualization Technology which was included in the Intel Yonah processors that are now shipping in the Intel Macs.

While in free Beta testing at the moment, the final software package for Linux and Windows is priced from the company at $49.99.

With Apple's release of Boot Camp to allow Intel Macs to boot into Windows XP, many users are enthusiastic about being able to run many Windows-only games that have not yet been ported to the Mac.

This added capability, however, may cause most uncertainty to current Mac game developers who have always had an uphill battle in providing timely ports to the Mac platform. Some fear that bringing Windows XP booting ability to the Intel Macs may reduce incentive to produce for the Mac-specific market.

InsideMacGames posts several reactions from some current Mac developers. Reactions appear to be mixed. Brad Oliver of Aspyr Media offers these thoughts:

From a business standpoint, I suspect Aspyr is, in the short term, going to continue releasing Mac ports as before and see where the market takes us. If Mac sales tank, we've got enough revenue coming in from PC and console ports that it probably won't hurt the company too much and we'd just focus on the other platforms. It's possible that the Mac market share could increase so dramatically that the demand for Mac games increases enough to offset the costs of the loss of sales to dual-booting, but I'm not so optimistic about that.

Apple surprised everyone today when they introduced Boot Camp -- drivers and instructions on how to boot Windows XP on the new Intel Macs.

Along with Boot Camp, Apple has posted firmware updates to all their Intel Macs today. These firmware updates provide EFI with BIOS support, allowing all Intel Macs to boot operating systems such as Windows XP and Linux. This should also allow the Intel Macs to boot upcoming operating systems, such as Windows Vista. The Boot Camp CD which was posted simply provides needed Mac-specific drivers for full support of Windows XP on the Intel Macs.

While the original discussion thread is still growing, users are encouraged to post specific questions and answers in our Windows on Mac subforum and update the Booting Windows on the Mac guide page with tips and solutions.

Apple posted a new product called "Boot Camp" Beta which will come standard with Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). The new software allows users to dual-boot Mac OS X and Windows XP on the new Intel Macs.

More and more people are buying and loving Macs. To make this choice simply irresistible, Apple will include technology in the next major release of Mac OS X, Leopard, that lets you install and run the Windows XP operating system on your Mac. Called Boot Camp (for now), you can download a public beta today.

Windows XP is not included, so users will have to purchase it seperately. Current users need the latest version of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and the latest firmware updates.
There has been a lot of publicity surrounding the successful efforts in getting Windows to boot on Intel Macs by users, however, this represents the first time Apple has officially supported the option. Apple's previous stance has been one of indifference... in that they did not intend to facilitate this ability but would also not stand in the way. Apple appears to be embracing the concept now with an official solution.As previously mentioned, many feel that the ability to also boot Windows on Apple's latest Intel Macs will facilitate many users to switch to the Mac platform.Unlike previous solutions, it appears that Apple is providing Windows drivers for their Intel Mac hardware. This means, accelerated graphics and support for networking etc.. under Windows XP.

Stuff Magazine claims that despite a quiet 30th anniversary weekend for Apple, they have been working hard on a long rumored Bluetooth iPod.

...it looks like the [Bluetooth iPod] is finally ready to appear in the Apple store, along with a deluge of accessories.

The accompanying accessories are said to include bluetooth headphones, and the ability to broadcast to your car speakers.

A bluetooth enabled iPod has been long rumored, with multiple hints over the years (patent image describing an wireless iPod).

Steve Jobs, however, had previously stated that Bluetooth in the iPod wasn't a great option since the sound quality wasn't great and constantly recharging headphones was cumbersome.

Techworld.com reports that a company called Parallels will be announcing their virtualization product for Intel-based Macs later this week.

According to a company representative, "We will enable users to run multiple operating systems (like Linux and Windows) simultaneously with Mac OS X".

This is distinct from the dual-boot solutions that have been previously described. Instead, users can run these alternative operating systems in a window under Mac OS X.

Several have suggested that this functionality could increase Apple's marketshare with businesses and consumers alike. WSJ Online notes that Japan's Aozora Bank Ltd. is already making the move to all Mac. They are planning to switch all 2,300 of their personal computers to Mac. The bank cites the strength of Mac OS X alone as the reason for their switch. Other surveys, however, have suggested that a large number of consumers would switch to Mac if also given the ability to run Windows easily.

More details on Parellels' solution should be available later this week. Microsoft has been said to be working on an Intel-version of Virtual PC as well, but no timeframe has been given.

DailyTech.com claims that Apple has already made a number of quiet revisions to the MacBook Pro. While constant revisions are not uncommon for shipping products, the early MacBook Pros models appear to have drawn a number of criticisms (flickering, whining, heat)

According to DailyTech, Apple is up to (at least) revision D amongst the shipping MacBook Pros:

I spoke with Apple over the weekend, and to my surprise, some of the issues are well known. Known well enough in fact, that Apple has already started addressing these issues in updated MacBook Pros

Revision D (SN starts with W8611) MacBooks are said to have addressed a number of known issues.
Update:: It appears the two digit number that is described simply refers to the week of production and not distinct revisions. While fixes may have been incorporated, the # does not appear to distinguish revisions.

AFX News Limited claims that Asustek Computer Inc has secured an Apple Computer contract for "iBook notebook personal computers".

According to their sources, Apple has secured approximately 1.2 million units initially. The laptops are said to be powered by Intel processors and are equipped with 13.3" displays. Apple will reportedly start selling the new iBooks in June.

Apple has been rumored to introduce a 13" Intel iBook. One early report claimed the new iBook would use a significantly different enclosure. Other speculation has suggested that the new Intel iBooks would be called MacBooks.

Now available via Software Update:

The 10.4.6 Update is recommended for all users and includes general operating system fixes, as well as specific fixes for the following applications and technologies:

- login and authentication in a variety of network environments
- file access and byte range locking with AFP file sharing
- network access when using proxy server automatic configuration files
- connecting to Cisco VPN servers using IP/Sec
- using Bluetooth wireless devices
- searching iWork '06 and Microsoft Office documents with Spotlight
- saving Word documents automatically when using a network home directory
- creating Automator workflows for iPhoto 6
- synchronizing contacts and calendars to .Mac and mobile phones
- mounting and unmounting iDisk volumes
- compatibility with third party applications and devices
- previous standalone security updates

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n303411.

For detailed information on Security Updates, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n61798.

Note: As Apple notes, PowerPC-based Macs will restart twice rather than once after the installation of Mac OS X 10.4.6. (Thanks to member WildCowboy for suggesting we mention this.)[Update] Standalone installers can be found here.